A trend toward giving more useful holiday gifts

A trend toward more practical gift-giving will find more not-so-glitzy gifts sharing space under the tree with splashier fare this holiday season, as consumers try to make their holiday dollars do double-duty.

Designer duds are being ditched in favor of gifts the whole family can enjoy, like a new ceiling fan, or, for the harried individual with a big home to clean, a sleek new vacuum cleaner.

Here's a photo slideshow of suggestions:

"Believe it or not, vacuums are gifts that many people get very excited about," said Jackie Cooper, director of marketing and communications for Electrolux Home Care Products, North America. "Today's vacuums have cool features and beautiful designs, making them a sought after gadget or toy for some adults -- especially those that love to clean," she said.

From Dirt Devil, there's the KWIK cordless detailer vacuum, a lightweight hand model equipped with a USB charging system. It's designed to clean and dust in tight spaces and protect electronic equipment, making it ideal for offices and around the home.

According to Ms. Cooper, stick vacuum sales typically rise during the holiday season. She recommends the Electrolux Ergorapido, a sleekly designed, lightweight, cordless model with built-in hand vacuum. Another popular choice is the Optima Pet Lover from Eureka (part of Electrolux), a lightweight and compact vac designed to combat pet hair and odors.

Before purchasing a vacuum, you need to consider the person you're giving it to and the type of floor surface it will be used on, Ms. Cooper warned. Stick vacuums provide a quick clean for busy families, while upright and canister vacuums are designed to powerfully tackle bare floors, carpets or both. Many vacuums also are equipped with special tools and attachments to help clean hard-to-reach places.

USEFUL AND GOOD-LOOKING

If you're looking to take a more practical approach to gift-giving, but not as practical as cleaning products, Bed Bath & Beyond stocks an array of gadget gifts for pragmatists. Spokeswoman Bari Fagin suggests the Keurig single serve coffee maker, which produces a cup of gourmet coffee in under 60 seconds. Or, the simplehuman Sensor Soap Dispenser, which automatically releases hand or dish soap or lotion.

For parents and grandparents born before the digital age, Ms. Fagin offers the VuPoint Solutions Digital Photo Converter, which can transform old photos into digital images. Bed Bath & Beyond, which has a store in New Springville, also offers VuPoint's Slide and Negative Converter. Explaining that it transfers 35mm slides and film negatives into digital files, Ms. Fagin commented, "Here's something you can give someone that they can use all year."

Practical doesn't have to be dry and mundane; it can be fun and decorative, too, like the company's Sunrise Global Reed Fragrance Diffusers, which not only scent, but lend a decorative touch to a room. And BB&B's Sentiments Photo Tray has eight openings to display favorite photographs -- perfect for pairing with a promise of using it to serve a special someone breakfast in bed.

LET'S CIRCULATE

Practical and decorative also describes the gift of a ceiling fan. James Gallman, vice president of brand marketing for the Hunter Fan Co., expects the company's Five Minute Fan, which comes 90 percent pre-assembled and is easy to hang, to be a popular choice this season.

It may seem strange to be thinking about fans when it's cold outside, but a ceiling fan can be employed to help circulate warm air. Fans come with a switch that allows you to reverse the direction of the blades to a clockwise motion, pushing warm air down.

"Most people don't know that," Gallman said, adding, "In a 2,500 square-foot home, you can save up to $500 per year [on heating]."

Fans and fan accessories make great gifts for kids with their own rooms, too. Hunter offers Sweet Pea Gallery Blades with 14 different blade colors and designs, including fairies and airplanes. The company's X-Board Celing Fan has three graffiti-style blades, and the Fantasy Flyer Ceiling Fan is shaped like an airplane.

You can also help those on your list clear the air with a trio of other gift items from Hunter. These include the Solo2 Personal Space Air Cleaner, which sends out a stream of air while you work, offers personalized settings and plugs into your personal computer; the Permalife Large Room Air Purifier, which removes dust, smoke and pollens from the air, and the Carefree Evaporative Humidifier, which helps maintain a proper humidity level.

APPLIANCES, TOO

Appliances like refrigerators, gas stoves and washers-and-dryers are big sellers this time of year among those looking to fix up their homes in time for the holidays, according to Bob Simonelli, specialty manager at the Mariners Harbor Home Depot.

And when it comes to the fixer-uppers themselves, Home Depot offers an array of tools, including Ryobi Lithium-Ion power tool kits and stick screwdrivers, driver-drill and impact driver-sets from Makita, and Milwaukee Sawzall Reciprocating Saws. There also are a number of items for under $10 that would make good stocking stuffers for the do-it-yourselfer, Simonelli said, mentioning drill/drive sets, ratcheting screwdriver sets and compact flashlights.

"There's a tool for every toolbox," Simonelli said. "Especially with this economy, people are going to have to start fixing things up on their own, and they need to make sure they have the tools to do it."

Sounds like a practical solution to the gift-giving dilemma.

Andrea Boyarsky is a features reporter for the Advance. She may be reached at boyarsky@siadvance.com.